P.S. asks from Mount Laurel, NJ on June 26, 2008
Odor/product Removal Suggestions, Please!
I have two questions. The first: I walked in on my daughter (1-1/2 years old) as she was playing with the big tub of Aquaphor and it was all over her, her furniture, clothing etc. I cleaned most of it but there are large patches of it smeared into a 100% wool area rug. I tried to blot it out but no use. For those of you that don't know what Aquaphor is, it is similar in color and texture to Vaseline - maybe a little thicker. Is there anything I can do to get this out? The second question relates to a fabric handbag I bought on clearance. Once I got it home and took it out of the bag I noticed it reeks of cigarette smoke. Someone who smokes must have bought/returned it before my purchase. Is there anyway to safely remove this smell? I find it horribly offensive and won't use the purse if I can't get rid of it (which is a shame b/c it is really cute!)
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S.A. answers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2008
Pam
I just had a situation with VASELINE and the only thing that got it out was Dawn dishwashing liquid combined with corn starch. I used the corn starch to dap it on to sift the grease out and then washed several times with DAWN. I dont know about the second request .....sorry. Hope this helps!
Sincerely,
S.
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E.S. answers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2008
As soon as I saw the word Aquaphor, I started to laugh. When my oldest son was 2, he found the big jar of Vaseline that I would use for diaper changes (I was busy with my newborn). It was only a few minutes, but by the time I came out of the nursery, he had the whole thing in his hair (he looked like Ed Grimley from Saturnday Night Live), on the walls in the hallway, above his bed, and on his pillowcase! I'm not sure what you could do, but I wonder if Dawn dishwashing liquid, used really gently on the spot, would work? As far as the smelly purse, first try Febreze. If it's a Vera Bradley purse, my friend has one and she says that she has put in the washing machine on gentle and dried it on gentle, she just keeps an eye on it. Good luck to you. I'm right there with you with adoring your kids, just not always your "job"!
P.M. answers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2008
I would love to share with a product that takes out odor and might also clean up that product that dummp. I bought a product solumel it gets odors out. All naturally based and safe. Write me back. This has 100%satisfaction guarantee.
D.W. answers from Philadelphia on June 27, 2008
if you can not wash it then try some febreeze. i think it works well to get rid of odors because it gets down into the fabric and not just masks but gets rid of odors. i would also try to put it outside and air it out for a day after i put febreeze on it since it may take a while to dry.I do not smoke so i know how smelly things get when it gets the cigarette odor on it.
the aquaphor is thick,my sister in law uses it because she is a native american and she and the kids have dry skin. i would try some oxyclean mixed with water and scrub it on the rub. make sure to try a small area first to make sure the rug does not bleed.
D.P. answers from Pittsburgh on June 26, 2008
L.B. answers from Harrisburg on June 27, 2008
Not sure what to do about the Aquaphor.....but the purse.....place some baking soda in a small container....or get the one for the fridge and put it in there....it make soak up the smell....same goes for coal....
K.S. answers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2008
Find an oriental rug store near you to professionally clean the wool rug. It is the only way. Spray the purse with Febreze and leave it outside when the weather is nice. My husband had to get a blazer out of mothballs last week and Febreze took the smell out in one hour!!
J.M. answers from Pittsburgh on June 27, 2008
I can't help you with the aquaphor, but for the purse, I would try using baking soda, as many others reccomended. I would also try leaving it out in the sun for a little while. Leave it out for a little while then turn it inside out to get the smell out of the inside. The sun takes smells and stains out of things better than anything else I have tried ever. My cat was mad at me, so she peed on my favorite sweatshirt and I could not get the smell out for anything- tried baking soda, febreeze, all the laundry stuff- nothing worked. I left it in the sun for a couple of hours and the smell was gone.
T.S. answers from Philadelphia on June 27, 2008
I just read in Martha Stewart (someone bought something vintage with musty smell) to rub in baking soda and vacuum out. Personally I have used a dish of plain vinegar to remove smoky smells (in the fireplace) so you could try both but the vinegar thing would require you putting the handbag in a box or something with the dish of vinegar. Car dealers and hotels use ozone machines so just in case you have a friend working at either place, they may be able to help you out. Good luck. A good handbag is hard to find! I'm currently using my earth day/power up Gambia bag--made of garbage bags in Gambia, Africa but am getting tired of it! Good luck.
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